Means for operating rotary furnaces for roasting and drying ores



No.z6l2,l86. Patented Dot. II, |898.

P. ARGALL.

MEANS FUR OPERATING ROTARY FURNACES FUR ROASTING AND DRYING DRES.

(Application led Jan. 21, 189B.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Il lllll Il No. 612,186. Patented Oct. Il, |898. P. ARGALL.

MEANS FOB OPERATING BUTAHY FURNACES FOR RASTING AND DRYING DRES.

(Application med Jan. 21', 189B.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.,

Patented Oct. Il, |898.

P. ABGALL.

(Application led Jun. 21, 1898.)

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MEANS FOR OPERATING OTARY FURNACES FOR ROASTING AND DRYING DRES.

No. enz/:86.

(No Model.)

i Nrrso STATES 4PATENT Fries.

PIIlLlP ARGALL, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

MEANS FOR OPERATING ROTARY FURNACES FOR ROASTING AND DRYING ORES.Y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,186, dated October 11, 1898.

.Application filed January 21, 1898. Serial No. 667,474. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern;

Beit known that I, PHILIP ARGALL,a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Operating Rotary Furnaces for Roasting and Drying Ores; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side view of a multitubular rotary furnace, partially in section, showing my improved driving mechanism in operative position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of said driving mechanism, the rotary furnace being detached. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing the principal parts of the improved driving mechanism, partially in section. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the driving-lug detached.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

My invention relates particularly to improvements in the mechanism employed to operate rotary tubular furnaces for roasting and drying ores, especially the improved multitubular furnace patented to me October I9, 1897, No. 591,909; and it .consists in the application of means whereby the torsional strain and friction and consequent tendency to slip in the drivers and injurious irregularity of movement are wholly obviated to the great saving of power and improvement of result.

The rotary furnace above referred to is composed of a group of massive tubular cylinders symmetrically arranged abouta common axis, so as to rotate when suitable power is applied. These tubes are of metal lined with fire-resisting material and provided with unitary cylinders or hoods at each end, also lined with iireclay or its equivalent.. The whole group is a matter of thirty-five to forty feet long and weighs upward of forty tons, inclusive of load, thus requiring very strong and massive supports and mechanism of superior construction to insure the equable rotation necessary for good practical results It has hitherto been found difficult, however, to prevent a certain amount of strain upon the drivers and related mechanism, owing to the mechanical impossibility of producing or maintaining the drivers and the cooperating track-bands of precisely the same diameter at both extremities of the tubular group. This strain was expended upon the rotative mechanism and resulted in an inevitable slip between the drivers and the track-bands, causing irregularity of movement and wear and sudden jars of readjustment, which occasioned great injury to the gears and shafting, necessitating frequent repairs. By myimproved driving means,no\v to be described, I have wholly obviated these defects and obtained a smooth even motion of the heavy revolving furnace with its load and an even wear with an expenditure or mucn less power than heretofore and at a much less cost for repairs. f

In the' drawings, a a a2 indicate the multitubular group symmetrically bound together, so as to rotate as one cylinder. F F denote the circular track-bands, which encircle and sustain'the said cylinder and on which it revolves. These track bands have beveled sides and run in contact with coned guidepulleys j j on one or bothv tracks, by which the cylinder is kept in rotative alinement.

G G HII denote the drivers and supports firmly sustained upon suitable shafting and bearings on the framework of the apparatus. Rotary motion is communicated, preferably, through the front pair of supports or drivers G I-I by a suitable train of gearing connecting to a source of power through the main shaft L and prime motor-shaft M. Heretofore this train of gearing' has been continuous, so that the same velocity was imparted to both drivers G and H, causing slip at the only point where it could 'occur-namely, between the driver and the track-band offering the least resistance. By my improvement these drivers are driven by separate shafts from one source of power by a differential and compensating motion allowing for slip and constructed as follows:

The prime motor-shaft M communicates IOO wheels h 72.', so as to rotate with said pinions. Said bevel-wheels face each other and between the same is keyed on the shaft L, so as to rotate with it, the lug e, having arms ff. (Shown in detail in Fig. 4.)

Z Z are keyways excavated in shaft L to receive keys securing the lug e and the bevel- Y gear m against rotation with the shaft. e is a corresponding keyWay slotted in lug e. On the arms f f, which form axes therefor, are

located the loose bevel-pinions g g', secured by nuts f f or othersuitable means. These said pinions g g intermesh with the bevelwheels 7L 7L and form the driving means therel for, which motion 1s communicated through pinions e' i to the spur-gears la 7c and shafts C C', .and thence through spur-,gears 1) `h' c c vto drivers-G H, and thence through the trac-kbands running thereon to @the :rotary furnace Suppose now -rt-he resistance to motion of-one of thesedrivers, G, from any cause becomes greater than the resist' ance of ythe other driver, H. This resistance is .instantly transferred .to .bevel-Wheel h,

.causing lug e .to assume a new .position relatively by reason of the tendency -to A.arrest 1of 1 motion .on that side, imparting-rotaryfmotion Q to lbevel gears or -pinions g1g and increased,

motion to bevel-wheel h yin compensation for arrested motion `in bevel- Wheel h. The tendency 4to slip is thus compensated With-.in .the limits of :the ycompensatory gear, readjustment occurs without .torsional strain, vand the movement of the rotary cylinder becomes practically uniform. In practice the lug e is continually taking up new positions relatively vto gears hh', accordingly as the strain varies from Aone tothe other of the drivers Iand track-bands, resul-ting in a steady even motion, absolutely free from slip or jar, which is highly essen-tial to economical Work in the massive heavy furnaces of this description.

In Figs. l and 2 I have designated the conipensatory gear by the letter U, the scale in these gures being too small to show saidl gear i-n detail. The details are shown in Fig.

3. I am aware that such an arrangement of -same rotary supports frictionally engaging with the said track-bands, separate shafts and trains lof gearing communicating rotary motion to .twoof said rotary supports, a single main shaft from wh-ich `motion is imparted to said-separate shaftsa-ndgears,and an intermediate 4com pensa-tin g .gear yinclud-ing loose pinion-s between said single main shaft and said separate 'shafts and gears, Whereby'differen- ,tial motion is impartedfto said sepa-rate shafts and gears in compensation of the varying strain, substantially as specified.

2. In a rotary tubular furnace, :the combination of the symmetrical group of tubes, circular trackbands surrounding the same, and rotary supports and drivers therefor, with the separate shafts C, C', gears la s, loose pinions i i', gears 71. h, shaft L, lug e, bevel-pinions g g', and intermediate gearing between said shafts C C and said rotary support-s whereby differential motion is imparted to -thesaid drivers from the single-shaft L, substantially as speCied.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP ARGALL.

Witnesses HENRY A. VEZIN, H. M. MuNnoE. 

